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  Bob Lutz  

Cromwell takes run at bettering A&M offense

I can still see Nolan Cromwell taking the snap from center, finding the nearest hole and speeding through it until somebody could catch him.

All these years removed from his Kansas Jayhawk football playing career, and I still don't think I've seen a more exciting KU player. What made it better was that he came out of Kansas 8-Man football, having played at Ransom.

Cromwell was one of those true, blue American football stories. And a true, blue American football player.

He wasn't a quarterback, really, though that's the position he played at Kansas. He really never fit into any position. But wherever he played, he was dangerous.

Cromwell, who spent 11 seasons in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams and 17 seasons as an NFL assistant coach, is back in the college ranks this season as offensive coordinator at Texas A&M. The cynical among you might say there's not much offense to coach with the Aggies, but Cromwell is trying to put his stamp on the program. He went to College Station to join his old NFL buddy Mike Sherman, the former coach of the Green Bay Packers who is in his first year at A&M. It's a work in progress.

"It was the right time to do this," Cromwell said. "Both of my kids are out of high school, either in college or graduated. That frees me up. But the main reason is Mike Sherman. I worked with him at Green Bay and at Seattle and I enjoy his creativity and passion for the game."

In the offense-crazy Big 12, Texas A&M has been slow to join the whirling carousel. But the Aggies had a pretty big day offensively last week in a loss to Oklahoma State and hope to keep things going Saturday when Kansas State visits.

Cromwell, 53, is one of the veteran coaches Sherman brought in to try and boost the Aggies. He's joined by 64-year-old defensive coordinator Joe Kines and 62-year-old senior assistant Tom Rossley. All have extensive experience in the NFL.

Adjusting to the college game -- especially the lack of time with players -- has been a challenge for Cromwell.

"You really have to get yourself organized and precise because you don't have much time to install stuff or get anything really going," Cromwell said. "You're limited to 20 hours a week with the players, whereas in the NFL you'd probably spend 45 or 50 hours a week with them. This is a lot different."

Cromwell has never been an offensive coordinator before, either. He played in the secondary with the Rams and earned four trips to the Pro Bowl and played in one Super Bowl. He did coach wide receivers with Green Bay in 1998 and with the Seattle Seahawks from 1999-2007, so he has spent plenty of time with offensive personnel. And Sherman's offensive background is extensive.

"The offenses in this conference are running wild," Cromwell said. "It's crazy, but it's exciting. I love watching these teams play and trying to prepare our kids and get them ready to go."

Injuries have limited both Aggies quarterbacks, Stephen McGee and Jerrod Johnson. The only consistent offensive player has been junior tailback Mike Goodson, whose 332 yards rank No. 9 in the Big 12.

A&M ranks last in the conference in scoring offense, total offense and total defense. There's pretty much a complete overhaul going on with the program, which hit some lean years during the final three seasons under Dennis Franchione.

Even in those years, though, A&M was dangerous and had a 21-16 record. It's tough to imagine this year's team approaching .500.

Cromwell loves the passion and pageantry of college football. It had been a while since he'd witnessed it.

His KU teams in 1975 and 1976, coached by Bud Moore, were entertaining, but not big winners. The '75 team finished 7-5; a season later the Jayhawks were 6-5.

Cromwell, though, was instrumental in one of the biggest KU wins ever, a 23-3 win over Oklahoma in 1975. It was the only loss of the season for the Sooners, who won the national championship.

Cromwell didn't throw a pass in the OU game, which wasn't all that unusual. In two seasons as KU's starting quarterback, he threw 92 passes and completed just 33 for 606 yards. That's about a game and a half for current Jayhawk starter Todd Reesing.

Cromwell was dangerous with his feet.

He is one of only 10 KU players to have rushed for 1,000 yards in a season. In back-to-back games against Oregon State and Wisconsin in 1975, Cromwell rushed for 294 and 187 yards. He finished that season with 1,124 rushing yards.

KU's wishbone made him a college-only quarterback. It's testament to his athletic abilities that he went on to play defense in the pros and that he was also a world-class track athlete.

Now he's knee deep into trying to make Texas A&M a factor again in the Big 12. There isn't much time to think about the past, but it's always nice when he does.

"I have really great memories of Kansas, growing up there and playing there," Cromwell said. "Especially about Ransom. It was just a great group of guys there and there was such a passion for football in that town. And for all sports. We took it very seriously."

Eagle sports columnist Bob Lutz co-hosts "Sports Daily" from 9-11 a.m. weekdays on KFH, 1240-AM and 98.7-FM. Reach him at 316-268-6597 or blutz@wichitaeagle.com.